The present invention generally relates to underwater suspended cables and more particularly to the suppression of cable strumming in these underwater suspended cables in low water current velocity applications.
Prior to the present invention no practical low cost solution existed for the reduction of cable strumming in long small diameter suspended cables at low current velocities. For larger diameter cables, polyurethane ribbons and fiber fringe type fairings are currently used for low velocity applications. For high tow speeds, the larger diameter cables have used a rigid vane type fairing. The fairings for these large diameter cables are expensive and the fairings used for low velocity applications do not reduce the cable's drag. The fiber fringe fairing can be used on cables as small as three-eights inch diameter and is effective in reducing strumming. However, the fiber fringe fairing considerably increases drag since it is not omni-directional and is particularly high in cost. Another drawback of the fringe fairing is that it can inhibit cable handling and packaging.